Door stop



Sept. l1, 1956 R. A. GILMOUR 2,762,641

DOOR STOP Filed Feb. 1l, 1955 A 7 Tom/E y United States Patent DOOR STOP Robert A. Gilmour, Somerset, Pa.

Application February 1'1, 1955, Serial No. 487,547

'1 Claim. (Cl. 292-63) This invention relates to improvements in door stops, and while primarily intended for use on the doors of hospitals, office buildings, schools, and like institutions, and particularly on doors equipped with mechanical self-closing devices, it will be obvious that the door stop may be employed in connection with any door wherein it is found to be applicable.

Important objects and advantages of the invention are to provide a door stop of the character described, which will effectively hold the door at the full open position or in any selective partially open position, which will serve as a butler when the door is swung. to the full: open position to prevent marring of the base board, which will function automatically to return. to the buffer position when released from the holding position, which is adjust.- able to regulate its holding action, and which may be operated by the use of the foot when shifting. the device to the holding and inoperative positions, and thus obviate the necessity of stooping to effect these operations.

With the foregoing and other objects inview'which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the novel construction,combination and arrangement of'parts herein specifically Idescribed and. illustrated in the accompanying drawing, but it is to be understood that the latter is merely illustrative of what is now consideredl to be a preferred embodiment of the invention, and that changes in the form, proportions, and details of construction may be resorted to that come within the scopefof the claims hereunto appended.

In the 'drawing wherein like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure l is a side elevational View of a door stopconstructed in accordance with the invention, and illustrating the attachment of the device witha door and being in the buffer position.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional. View of the barrel and of associated parts, with the holding head being. removed frorn the barrel.

Figure 3 is a side elevational View of the holding head.

Figure 4 is a front elevational View of the attaching bracket.

Figure 5 is a. greatly enlargedl side view of the holding pin illustrating the engagement of the holding pin in the attaching bracket, with the latter shown in section.

Referring. in. detail. to the drawing, the improved door stop comprises a suitable attaching bracket l including a pair of forwardly projecting, similar, bearing lugs, respectively indicated at 2 and 3, which are disposed vertically edgewise in parallel, spaced relation to each other. The attaching bracket is provided with a plurality of holes 4 for the passage of screws 5 by which the attaching bracket is rigidly secured in position against the inner face of the door 6 adjacent to the bottom of the latter, as clearly illustrated in Figure l.

A cylindrical barrel 7, provided with a bore 8 extending throughout the length thereof, has its rearward end portion disposed between the bearing lugs 2, 3, and is pivotally connected to the bearing lugs by a removable ICC pivoting shaft 9. The pivoting shaft extends transversely through the barrel, adjacent to the rearward end of the latter, and is removably journaled in respective bearing lugs. The outer ends of the pivoting shaft are disposed flush with the outer faces of the respective bearing lugs for the purpose to be described.

The forward end portion 10 of the barrel bore 8v isV reduced to form av shoulder 11 on the wall of the bore adjacent to forward end of the latter. An annular nut 12 is mounted. for longitudinal movement in the bore.v 8 and normally seats against the shoulder 11, which limits its movement. in the forward direction in the bore.

A bushing 13 is secured in the bore 8 at a position directly forward of the. pivoting shaft 9. A spiral' compression spring 14 is mounted in the bore 8 with one end abutting against the bushing 13 and the other end thereof abutting against the nut 12. The normal action of the spring 14 tends to shift and force the nut toward and against the shoulder 11.

A holding head 15 is adjustably connected in the forward end of the barrel 7 and includes an aligned reduced neck 16 andstem 17. The stem is formed with screw threads and is engaged in the nut 12, and the neck extends into the reduced portion 10 of the barrel bore 8 to conceal the stem when the holding head is adjusted on its connection with the barrel 7. A cushioning plug 1.8 is removably attached at the forward end. of the holding head to prevent marring of any surfaces. contacting therewith when the device is in the buffer position shown. in Figure 1. It will be apparent that by adjusting the stem in the nut the holding head may be projected' or retracted in its alignment withV the barrel 7.

A spiral actuating spring 19 is mounted on the shaftk 9 within the barrel bore 8i. One end of theactuating spring extends rearwardly and is anchored to the attaching bracket 1,. as indicated at 20, and the other end. thereof projects forwardly and is formed with. a free loop 2i which engages the wal-l of the bushing 13- in the barrel. bore 8. The normal action of the actuating spring 19 tends` to return the barrel 7 to the horizontal buffer position as illustrated in Figure 2.

A holding pin 22, having a. reduced, `rounded inner end 23, is carried by each of the bearing brackets12 and 3, each of which is provided with a transversely extending aperture 24, having a reduced inner endL to form a shoulder 25, for the reception of the holding pin 22.

The holding pins 22 are slidably mounted` on the aperturesy 24 of respective bearing lugs 2, 3,l andthe reduced, rounded inner ends 23. thereof normally project through the reduced inner ends of the apertures, as shown in Fig,- ure 4. The inward movements of the holding pins are limited by the shoulders 25 but may be withdrawn in the outward direction from the apertures.

The holding` pins 22 extend irl-horizontal alignment, and are disposed above and forwardly of the pivoting shaft 9. When the holding pins are in their normal inwardly projecting positions in. respective apertures 24, the outer ends thereof are ilush with the outer face of respective bearing lugs 2, 3.

A Hat strip spring 26 is positioned flatly against the outer face of each of the bearing lugs 2, 3, and has the lower end thereof attached to respective bearing lugs by a screw 27. The strip springs have free upper ends and are disposed forwardly at an angle from the vertical to overlap the outer ends of the shaft 9 and of the holding pins 22, whereby the shaft and holding pins are retained in the bearing lugs, with the holding pins being in the inwardly projecting positions shown in Figure 4.

When the barrel is shifted on the shaft 9 to pass between the inner ends of the holding pins 22, during the operation of the device, the moving barrel will force the holding pins outwardly, in respective apertures 24, against 3 the action of the strip springs 26, and the latter will return the holding pins to their normal inwardly projecting positions as soon as the barrel clears the holding pins after having passed therebetween,

The rearward end of the barrel 7 is formed with a pair of longitudinally extending slots, respectively indicated at 28 and 29. The slots have open ends and are diametrically opposed to each other at locations to provide clearance for the actuating spring 19 during the operation of the device in the manner to be described.

The barrel 1 combined with the holding head 15 adjustably engaged therein constitute the stop member, indicated at 30, of the improved door stop, and in practice the operation of the Idevice is as follows: The normal action of the actuating spring 19 will automatically shift the stop member 30 to the horizontal buffer position on the shaft 9, as shown in Figure 1. The cushioning plug 18 will prevent marring any surface contacting same when the device is functioning in the capacity of a buffer.

When the stop member 30 is in the horizontal buffer position, the holding pins 22, actuated by the spring 26, will engage the surface of the barrel 7 at points above the axial center of the barrel and forwardly of the pivoting shaft 9, to counteract the action of the spring 19 and thereby hold the stop member 30 in the horizontal, buffer position by preventing the stop member from moving above the horizontal position by the action of the then diminished tension of the actuating spring 19.

The stop member may be moved to the depending, operative stop position below the bracket 1, as shown in dash lines in Figure l, by means of the foot, thereby eliminating the necessity of stooping over to properly set the stop member in the operative stop position. The length of the stop member 30 from the shaft 9 to the free end of the cushioning plug 18 is somewhat greater than the vertical distance between the shaft and the floor 31, and the degree of such differential is properly effected by the adjustment of the holding head 15 in the nut 12 within the barrel 1.

The stop member 30 is set in the operative set position by holding the lower end thereof against the floor 31 with the foot and then slightly moving the door 6 manually in the opening direction, whereby the stop member will be forced from an angular position forwardly of the vertical to an angle past and rearwardly of the latter toward the door which is the operative stop position, as shown in dash lines in Figure 1.

The resistance or thrust of the tensione-d compression spring 14 against the holding head 15 is sufficient to prevent the unaided reversal of the angular positions of the stop member 30, whereby the latter will be held in the operative stop position to hold the door at any selected partial or fully open position. To release the stop member from the operative stop position it is only necessary to manually move the door in the closing direction to forcibly effect the reversal of the angular positions of the stop member, and the flatter, when so released, will automatically shift to the horizontal buffer position by the function of the actuating spring 19, which will have been tensioned when the stop member was set in the operation stop position in the manner above described.

The stop member 30 may be elevated from the horizontal buffer position to the erect inoperative position above the bracket 1 by the foot. The stop member is retained in the erect inoperative position by the operation of the holding pins 22, which are now disposed forwardly of the axial center of the stop member to engage the barrel 7. When the stop member is in such erect inoperative position, as shown in dash lines in Figure 1, the actuating spring 19 will impart only a stabilizing effect to the inoperative position of the stop member.

With the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the construction and method of operation of the invention will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and it will be apparent that the device provides a most efficient device of its kind, which is simple in its construction and arrangement, durable, compact, attractive in appearance, positive in its action, and comparatively economical in its manufacture, installation, and maintenance.

What I claim is:

A door stop of the class described comprising, in combination, an attaching bracket adapted to be secured to the door and including a pair of spaced forwardly projecting bearing lugs, an elongated cylindrical barrel provided with a bore having a reduced forward end portion to form a shoulder on the wall of said bore, a shaft removably mounted in said lugs and extending transversely through said barrel adjacent to the rearward end of the latter for pivotally connecting said barrel to said bracket, a bushing mounted in -said bore directly forward of said shaft, a screw nut slidably mounted in said bore, a compression spring mounted in said bore having one end abutting against said bushing and the other end thereof abutting against said screw nut to force the latter toward said shoulder in said bore, a holding head including a stem having adjustable screw thread engagement in said screw nut and projecting from the forward end of said barrel in alignment with the latter, a removable cushioning element attached to the forward free end of said head, said barrel with said head shiftable on said shaft to extend same in the horizontal buffer position and in the depending operative position and in the erect inoperative position, an actuating spring mounted on said shaft and having one end anchored to said bracket and the other end thereof extending into said bushing for forcing said barrel with said head to the horizontal buffer position from the depending operative position, and spring controlled means carried by said lugs and engaging said barrel at one side of the axial center of the latter and forwardly of said shaft for retaining said barrel in the horizontal buffer position, said means engaging said barrel at the other side of the axial center of the latter to retain said barrel in the erect inoperative position, the rearward end of said barrel provided with a pair of slots having open ends to provide clearance for the actuating spring when said barrel is shifted to the operative and inoperative positions.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 705,804 Winn July 29, 1902 823,070 McEntee June 12, 1906 1,553,341 Vavra Sept. 15,1925 1,851,612 Werth Mar. 29, 1932 1,876,173 Sasgen Sept. 6, 1932 

